Urinary tract infections are commonly treated thorough the use of orally administered antibiotics. Because of systematic absorption and other effects, only a small amount of the drugs ingested actually reach the bladder. Therefore, the dosage of these orally administered antibiotics must be chosen such that an effective amount of the drugs will travel to the bladder. As a result of the high dosages used, the antibiotics kill helpful flora in the intestine and are more likely to allow resistant organisms to grow there. It would therefore be advantageous to introduce the medications directly to the bladder.
Prior art methods of introducing drugs into the bladder require the use of a syringe and access to the end of a catheter. Because care must be taken to maintain a sterile environment so that infection does not occur, sterile gowns and gloves are required. As such, these prior art methods are not easily performed outside of a clinical environment. In addition, the prior art methods may not be able to be self administered, particularly by those with certain disabilities (for example, paraplegic patients who typically have trouble with urinary tract infections). Furthermore, it has been impossible to introduce drugs into the bladder through a bagged catheter, such as the type described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,652,259 to O'Neil, because the bag prevents access to the end of the catheter.
Silicone balloons have been used infrequently in the past to deliver intravenous fluids, such as local anesthetics, through a small diameter resistor at a low rate.
Therefore, a need exists in the art for a new system and method of delivering drugs to a patient's bladder. A method is needed through which drugs can easily be introduced to the bladder of a patient outside of a clinical environment while minimizing the risk of infection. Ideally, patients would be able to self-administer the method to introduce drugs to their own bladder safely and conveniently.